Scuderia AlphaTauri presented their AT03 to the world last Monday, as they prepare for a new era of Formula 1, as well as the longest season in the sports history. The Italian team enjoyed a very successful 2021 campaign, which saw them score their best ever points total.
Team principal Franz Tost spoke deeply at the launch at how pleased he was with 2021 but that despite 2022 being the longest season in the sports history, the team may not get as much luck as they did last year.
“I am pleased with how the 2021 season went as a whole, ending with our best ever points score. We have a strong team working in both Faenza and Bicester, as well as a number of very good partners, that collaborate with us, and we hope to continue our strong performance in 2022.
“Last year, we were lucky because the races were very interesting, there were always gifts, but we can’t expect that this will always be the case. So, for me 23 races is the absolute limit, not from the workload point of view, but because I am concerned that with such a high number of races, in the end it could cause people to lose interest in Formula 1.
“For me, the best number would be between 18 and 20 races because Formula 1 should be a premium product and we really should think about maybe reducing the number of races to keep it special. Personally, I am fine with 23 races or more, but this is not the question. The question is what’s best for the future of Formula 1.”
The new technical regulations for 2022 have been brought in to hopefully close the gap between the field, allowing the smaller teams on a much thinner budget to compete with the wealthiest in the championship. From the launches which have already taken place it is clear that every team has a different opinion on what the optimal design for 2022 should be. Tost is hopeful that the racing will be closer this season.
“I think in the slow-speed and the mid-speed corners, the cars will be closer together. I have some doubts for the high-speed ones because with these wide cars and the big tyres, there’s always some dirty air behind them, therefore, I’m not sure that it will be so easy to follow. Let’s wait and see after the first test.
“The completely new Technical Regulations mean that all the teams have had to design this new generation of car from zero, from a blank piece of paper. Although everything is quite restricted by the regulations, it’s possible that one team has found a very special solution and will therefore have a performance advantage.
“It’s not easy to estimate where the teams will be because everything is new, from the mechanical to the aerodynamic side, but I personally hope that the cars will be closer together. Realistically, we will only have an idea of how well Scuderia AlphaTauri will perform after the rst tests, and we’ll have to wait until after the rst two or three races to have a better picture.”
Second Year Together for Gasly and Tsunoda –
Whilst it might be the start of a brand-new era for the sport and AlphaTauri, they do retain the same driver line-up as 2021, with Frenchman Pierre Gasly alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Gasly was incredibly impressive and consistent in 2021, the Frenchman was a regular figure in the points places. Tsunoda enters 2022 on the back of an eventful rookie season but having learnt plenty of lessons.
Tost is especially pleased to have retained the same line-up for this season, with the sky being the limit for the ever-improving team.
“I’m very pleased with this driver line-up. Pierre is a fantastic driver and if we provide him with a really good car, he has shown he is able to win races and nish on the podium. Yuki is a very high-skilled driver and on several occasions, he was able to show it last year, especially in the last three races, where he performed really well. For him, 2021 was the typical year for a rookie driver in his rst season in Formula 1, where downs and mistakes are unavoidable. As a team, we prepared him well and he had some good performances at the beginning of the season.
“Then, we had to race on tracks he didn’t know and of course, with the high level of performance in Formula 1, it’s not easy for a rookie driver to deliver immediately, but by the end of the season, when he got more familiar with the car, with the techniques, with the engineers, he showed really good performance. In Abu Dhabi, he finished fourth, so I’m sure he’ll be competitive. In his leading role, Pierre has already showed that he can deliver great results, so I expect a lot from both drivers this year.”
